One of the most important keys to a successful bodybuilding or workout plan is consistency.
You must workout and train on a regular basis or you won't reach your fitness goals.
This is because your muscles need to be regularly stressed in order to convince them to grow, adapt, and become stronger.
Since consistency is such an important aspect of any fitness program, I thought I'd spend some time in this article discussing some tips you can use to help you stick to your workout regimen.
1) Make a weekly schedule.
This may seem like a no-brainer but you'd be surprised how many people don't plan out their workout routine or training splits beforehand.
By planning out your workout schedule for a week (i.
e.
Monday you'll do your chest, Tuesday you'll work your back, Wednesday will be a cardio day, Thursday you'll work arms, etc.
etc.
) you allow yourself to get in a routine so that you know exactly what you'll be doing each day ahead of time.
I've found that if a client knows what he/she is supposed to be doing on a certain day, it's easier for them to get the willpower to come in and actually do it.
Plus, having a good, efficient training split is a big part of getting the most out of your training regimen anyway.
2) Be sure your workout plan is challenging but not too challenging.
Some of the people who start out at the gym are lazy and disinterested right from the start, however a good many of them are extremely "gung-ho" when they first begin their exercise program.
This of course isn't a bad thing (far from it, in fact), but some people let their extreme enthusiasm work against them.
They construct a workout that is extremely challenging, something that they'd only be able to complete on their absolute best days and, before long, they end up either burning themselves out or becoming discouraged that their regimen is too difficult for them or sometimes both.
It's very important that you build a workout plan which challenges your muscles, but be sure to keep things within reason so you don't end up quitting in exhaustion after a couple of weeks.
Asking a personal trainer at your gym for advice or doing some research via books or the internet is a good place to start.
3) Find things that inspire you to workout.
I've always found that maintaining a mental focus and drive to workout is much easier when you have something to inspire you.
This is often a very personal thing and will vary from person to person.
For example, maybe you're trying to lose a certain amount of weight.
Maybe you're a guy who wants to impress a particular girl or girls in general with a buff bod (this of course is a pretty common one).
Maybe there's a particular bodybuilder or fitness model you aspire to look like.
Or a certain hot celebrity you'd like to mimic.
You might also be inspired by health...
maybe you want to live longer or get in better shape so you can spend more time with your family.
I also love listening to music when I lift...
nothing inspires me to pump harder like some driving heavy metal tunes.
Find your personal motivator or motivators and you'll be amazed at how much easier and focused your workouts become.
4) Keep your workouts fresh to limit boredom and spark new gains.
Specifically, I'm referring to the boredom factor.
Not only does varying your workouts promote muscle growth, it also keeps you interested in your exercise program.
If you do the same thing over and over, you're undoubtedly going to get bored.
Mixing up the exercises, the rep/set schemes, and your training split, will make each workout new and exciting and keep you coming back for more.
Hopefully I've been able to give you some nice tips to keep you focused and working out regularly.
"Sticking with it" is always one of the biggest challenges for any workout enthusiast and we can all use a little help every once in awhile to keep on keeping on.